Theresa Kavanagh wins in Bay ward

Theresa Kavanagh will represent Bay ward for the next four years.

With all 125 polls reporting, Kavanagh has 55.2 per cent of the vote, well ahead of her nearest challenger, Don Dransfield, who has 17.8 per cent of the vote.

The results remain unofficial until the city clerk validates them, which is expected to happen by Thursday.

Kavanagh said it was great to get the community's support.

'I feel a lot of gratitude'

"It feels fantastic," she said. "I feel a lot of gratitude for the people of Bay ward. They have been very kind to me.

"I know that I have a learning curve, that is normal, and I am not going to be presumptuous about it."

The election brought the number of women on council from four to seven. Kavanagh said it's a step in the right direction and that she hopes to see more women run in the future. 

It was an open race in Bay after Mark Taylor kept his promise to serve only two terms.

'It's time to represent the people' 

Kavanagh said she's ready to go to bat for the people of Bay ward, even if it means clashing with Mayor Jim Watson on important issues such as local development and transit.

"I think people expect me to represent them, and sometimes that won't be the same as what the mayor's office wants," she told CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning. "It's time to represent the people of Bay ward."

The five candidates were:

• Erica Dath
• Don Dransfield
• Theresa Kavanagh
• Marc Lugert
• Trevor Robinson